Low heart rate variability is associated with a negativity valence bias in interpreting ambiguous emotional expressions. 2023

Berge Osnes, and Simen R Berrefjord, and Pauline G Poless, and Christine Sigrist, and Julian Koenig, and Lin Sørensen
Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen.

Most people tend to overstate positive aspects of their experiences, that is, a positive valence bias. However, some people tend to have attenuated attention for negative aspects of perceived information, that is, negative valence bias. This dispositional tendency in either valence is especially significant for emotion regulation as it influences the intensity of later stages of emotional experiences. Heart rate variability (HRV) is used as an index of emotion regulation and for the effect dispositional valence bias has on social cognition. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether a positivity or negativity bias in processing ambiguous facial expressions would predict high or lower HRV, respectively, in a healthy sample. The Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test was presented to a sample of 128 healthy participants (N = 86 women participants), and resting HRV was acquired. In multiple linear regression analyses, the mean accuracy scores for items with positive, negative, and neutral valences were included as predictors of HRV. As a follow-up analysis, we tested whether a general tendency to interpret negative stimulus as positive, that is, a positivity bias, predicted HRV. Higher accuracy on items with negative emotional valence predicted lower HRV. There was no association between accuracy scores on items of positive or neutral valence and HRV. Higher positivity bias predicted higher HRV. The present findings suggest that a dispositional valence bias relates to levels of HRV and, as such, is influenced by the functioning of the vagal system. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D010551 Personality Behavior-response patterns that characterize the individual. Personalities
D004644 Emotions Those affective states which can be experienced and have arousing and motivational properties. Feelings,Regret,Emotion,Feeling,Regrets
D005260 Female Females
D006339 Heart Rate The number of times the HEART VENTRICLES contract per unit of time, usually per minute. Cardiac Rate,Chronotropism, Cardiac,Heart Rate Control,Heartbeat,Pulse Rate,Cardiac Chronotropy,Cardiac Chronotropism,Cardiac Rates,Chronotropy, Cardiac,Control, Heart Rate,Heart Rates,Heartbeats,Pulse Rates,Rate Control, Heart,Rate, Cardiac,Rate, Heart,Rate, Pulse
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000080103 Emotional Regulation The manifestation of an emotional response by which individuals influence the intensity, duration, valence, or manifestation of their response. Emotion regulation either precedes (avoidance, interpretation) or follows an emotion (suppression, reappraisal). Emotion regulation is distinct from coping (focuses primarily on decreasing a negative emotional experience), and can include increasing or decreasing both positive and negative emotions consciously or unconsciously. Emotion Regulation,Emotion Self-Regulation,Emotional Self-Regulation,Emotion Self Regulation,Emotion Self-Regulations,Emotional Regulations,Emotional Self Regulation,Emotional Self-Regulations,Regulation, Emotion,Regulation, Emotional,Regulations, Emotional,Self-Regulation, Emotion,Self-Regulation, Emotional,Self-Regulations, Emotion,Self-Regulations, Emotional
D001288 Attention Focusing on certain aspects of current experience to the exclusion of others. It is the act of heeding or taking notice or concentrating. Focus of Attention,Selective Attention,Social Attention,Attention Focus,Attention, Selective,Attention, Social,Selective Attentions

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